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178-402: The memorial traces its origins to the wartime crew of Massachusetts , who fought to save it from being broken up and ensure its preservation as a museum ship . The battleship forms a small cove which serves as a protected harbor for pleasure craft during the summer months. The Fall River Yacht Club maintains a dock nearby. The site also contains the historic 1920 Lincoln Park Carousel made by

356-790: A Gearing -class destroyer , was added to the fleet and immediately designated as the Commonwealth ’s official memorial to the Korean and Vietnam Wars . Massachusetts was subsequently designated the Commonwealth's official memorial to veterans of the Gulf War . Soon after the arrival of the USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. , the Mayor of Fall River christened the site “Battleship Cove”. In 1975 Tin Can Sailors, Inc.,

534-590: A Cold War relic: the Soviet-built East German Navy missile corvette Hiddensee . Three years later, the Commonwealth awarded Massachusetts and Lionfish a $ 10 million grant for significant, dry-dock restoration work. Since 1964, Battleship Cove has hosted more than 5 million youth, veterans, and tourists. As goals for continued success as an educational, historical museum, the Cove is dedicated to expanding and sustaining its outreach with programs like

712-476: A dry dock or a pier, although a dry dock is considered more environmentally friendly because all spillage is contained and can easily be cleaned up. Floating is, however, cheaper than a dry dock. Stormwater discharge facilities will stop an overflow of toxic liquid into the waterways. The carrier is then secured to ensure its stability. Often the propeller is removed beforehand to allow the watercraft to be moved into shallower water. Workers must completely strip

890-535: A $ 2.5 million grant for the preservation of Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. , and in that same year the National Park Service designated Massachusetts , Lionfish , and PT-796 as National Historic Landmarks (NHL). Subsequently, both Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. and PT-617 received NHL status, giving Battleship Cove the highest concentration of such south of Boston . Comprising eight vessels, the Battleship Cove fleet

1068-469: A Japanese bombardment force on the night of 14–15 November, and, in a battle now known as the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , they damaged the cruisers Takao and Atago in addition to forcing the battleship Kirishima and destroyer Ayanami to be scuttled . During the battle, a power failure incapacitated South Dakota and she received considerable topside damage—42 shells hit

1246-612: A Japanese submarine and on 1 May destroyed a Japanese schooner with her deck gun . After a rendezvous with the submarine USS  Ray , she transported B-29 survivors to Saipan and then made her way to Midway Island for replenishment. On 2 June she started her second war patrol, and on 10 July fired torpedoes at a surfaced Japanese submarine, after which Lionfish ' s crew heard explosions and observed smoke through their periscope. She subsequently fired on two more Japanese submarines and ended her second and last war patrol performing lifeguard duty (the rescue of downed fliers) off

1424-698: A brief overhaul in August. Later in August, Alabama departed for the Pacific theater; the ship was assigned to the US Third Fleet during the amphibious operations in the Gilbert islands, particularly Kwajalein in early 1944. During the night of 21 February 1944, Alabama ' s 5-inch guns were firing upon Japanese aircraft in the area. The ship turned in the direction of the Japanese aircraft in order to better engage them, but

1602-563: A century prior to laying the Iowa class down, the U.S. Navy had consistently advocated armor and firepower at the expense of speed. Even in adopting fast battleships of the North Carolina class , it had preferred the slower of two alternative designs. Great and expensive improvements in machinery design had been used to minimize the increased power on the designs rather than make extraordinary powerful machinery (hence much higher speed) practical. Yet

1780-523: A country without the permission of the importing state. This has led to a resurgence of recycling in environmentally compliant locations in developed countries, especially in former shipbuilding yards. On 31 December 2005 the French Navy's Clemenceau left Toulon to be dismantled at the Alang Ship Breaking Yard , India—despite protests over improper disposal capabilities and facilities for

1958-476: A danger for the workers. Burns from explosions and fire, suffocation, mutilation from falling metal, cancer and disease from toxins are regular occurrences in the industry. Asbestos was used heavily in ship construction until it was finally banned in most of the developed world in the mid-1980s. Currently, the costs associated with removing asbestos, along with the potentially expensive insurance and health risks, have meant that ship breaking in most developed countries

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2136-407: A floating crane were also destroyed. During this engagement, seven French destroyers managed to escape the harbor and attempted to make their way to the invasion beaches. At 08:55, Massachusetts increased speed in order to attack the destroyers. The battery at El Hank continued to fire on the ship, and at 10:00, one of the 7.6-inch shells from the coastal battery struck her on the port side between

2314-453: A gangway collapse. Due to a lack of funding, Battleship Cove was unable to maintain her and quietly sold her for scrap in October 2023. PT-796 was acquired 1975, followed in 1984 by PT-617 , forming the only pair of restored PT boats on display in the world. PT-617 is the only remaining Elco PT boat on display similar to that of John F. Kennedy's PT-109 . USS Fall River (CA-131)

2492-477: A great danger to the environment. The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal of 1989 has been ratified by 166 countries, including India and Bangladesh, and in 2004, End of Life Ships were subjected to its regulations. It aims to stop the transportation of dangerous substances to less-developed countries and mandate the use of regulated facilities. Furthermore,

2670-483: A higher top speed on a shorter hull, higher-performance machinery is required. Since the South Dakota design was much shorter than the preceding North Carolina s—680 ft (207.3 m) compared to 729 ft (222.2 m), respectively—the new ships would need improved machinery than would otherwise have been used in shorter hulls in order to retain the same speed as the longer ships. The design initially called for

2848-427: A lack of interest from countries who prioritise economic growth. There are also guards who look out for any reporters. To safeguard worker health, the report recommends that developed countries create a fund to support their families, certify carriers as 'gas-free' (i.e. safe for cutting) and to remove toxic materials in appropriate facilities before export. To supplement the international treaties, organisations such as

3026-408: A muzzle velocity of 2,600 ft/s (790 m/s) in new guns, but as continued fire wore down the barrels, muzzle velocity degraded slightly, to 2,500 ft/s (760 m/s). The reduced charge's muzzle velocity was correspondingly lower, at 1,200 ft/s (370 m/s). Each gun was supplied with 450 rounds, and was expected to fire 4,600 shells before it was worn enough to warrant replacement. At

3204-522: A national organization of 24,000 destroyer veterans, was founded at Battleship Cove. In 1984 a North American T-28 Trojan was added. This aircraft served as a US trainer, and also served in the VNAF Republic of Vietnam Air Force, reflecting immigrants in the Commonwealth who had served in the Vietnamese armed forces. A new gift shop helped fuel the organization’s growth. In 1985, the Commonwealth awarded

3382-401: A needed overhaul. The work lasted until January 1945; the ship returned to active duty on the 24th of that month. Indiana took part in the bombardment of Iwo Jima, as well as in attacks on the Japanese home islands. Following the shore bombardments, Indiana joined the task force that had assembled to invade Okinawa; the ship provided ground support fire as well as anti-aircraft defense against

3560-406: A process in which subcontractors would come on board the ship to strip it of loose and flammable items, which were often resold in second-hand shops. After that, the cutting crews would start to dismantle the hull, stern first; large sections were cut off the ship and moved via cranes and rigging taken from previously scrapped ships. Because the scrapping at Kaohsiung was done at the docks, scrap metal

3738-430: A range of 15,000 nmi (28,000 km; 17,000 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). Each ship had seven 1,000 kW ship service turbogenerators (SSTG) as well as two 200 kW emergency diesel generators . Total electrical power output was 7,000 kW at 450 volts alternating current. The South Dakota s were able to reap the benefits of developments in radar technology during World War II. By

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3916-519: A range of hazardous wastes by improving physical characteristics and decreasing the toxicity and transmission of contaminants. Hazardous waste may also be "destroyed" by incinerating it at a high temperature; flammable wastes can sometimes be burned as energy sources. Some hazardous waste types may be eliminated using pyrolysis in a high-temperature electrical arc, in inert conditions to avoid combustion. This treatment method may be preferable to high-temperature incineration in some circumstances such as in

4094-538: A reduced flashless charge of 315 lb (143 kg). This provided a muzzle velocity of 2,300 feet per second (700 metres per second) for the AP shell with the full propellant charge, while the reduced version provided a correspondingly lower muzzle velocity of 1,800 ft/s (550 m/s). 130 shells were stowed for each gun, which came to a total of 1,170. The guns in all three turrets could elevate to 45 degrees, but only I and III turrets could depress to −2 degrees;

4272-588: A reputation as a "Work Horse of the Fleet". During World War II, no United States Navy personnel were killed in action while aboard Massachusetts . It is said that "Big Mamie" fired both the first US Navy 16-inch (406 mm) shells of World War II (at the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart in the Naval Battle of Casablanca during Operation Torch ); and the last (at a Japanese steel works at Hamamatsu ), hours before

4450-652: A severe cyclone, the Greek ship M D Alpine was stranded on the shores of Sitakunda , Chittagong (then part of East Pakistan ). It could not be re-floated and so remained there for several years. In 1965 the Chittagong Steel House bought the ship and had it scrapped. It took years to scrap the vessel, but the work gave birth to the industry in Bangladesh. Until 1980 the Gadani Ship Breaking Yard of Pakistan

4628-602: A shipyard on an EU "green list." The facilities would have to show that they are compliant and regulated internationally to bypass corrupt local authorities. This list, as of 11 November 2020, comprises 43 yards, including 34 yards in Europe, eight yards in Turkey, and one yard in the USA. The list excluded some of the most major ship recycling yards in India and Bangladesh, which have achieved SoCs with

4806-560: A significant advantage over ships of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which for the most part relied on optical systems. The Mark 37 directors for the secondary batteries were fitted with the Mark 4 radar. With this system and the VT fused shells, the secondary batteries became formidable anti-air weapons, as well as being capable of using against surface targets. The Mark 4 was eventually replaced by

4984-565: A similar pattern of upgrades to the anti-aircraft armament. The South Dakota s had eight Babcock & Wilcox three-drum express type boilers that had a steam pressure of 600 psi (4,100 kPa) and a temperature of 850 °F (454 °C). The steam drove four geared turbines, one for each propeller shaft. General Electric provided the turbines for the South Dakota and the Massachusetts , while identical machinery for Indiana and Alabama were provided by Westinghouse . Similar to

5162-706: A sister branch in Alang, gaining paid holidays and safety equipment for workers since 2005. They hope to expand all along the South Asian coastline. In the world's largest ship recycling destination, Alang, safety awareness drives with hoardings, posters, films as well as training programmes for different categories of workers under the Safety Training and Labour Welfare Institute, safety evaluation by external teams, personal protective equipment (PPEs) including gloves, gumboot, goggles and masks are provided to workers to mitigate

5340-401: A specialist captain, and is not always successful. Next, the anchor is dropped to steady the ship and the engine is shut down. It takes 50 labourers about three months to break down a normal-sized cargo vessel of about 40,000 tonnes. Before the decommissioning begins, various clearances and permissions are obtained from regulatory, pollution and customs authorities after a thorough inspection

5518-707: A step. Most recently, in March 2012, the European Commission proposed tougher regulations to ensure all parties take responsibility. The aim of the EUSRR was to facilitate the early ratification of the Hong Kong Convention; however, it differs from the HKC in the way yards are authorised and in its list of inventories of hazardous materials, or IHM . Under this regulation, if a vessel has a European flag, it must be disposed of in

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5696-468: A top speed of at least 22.5 knots (41.7 km/h; 25.9 mph), which was deemed sufficient to keep up with opposing battleships and outrun surfaced submarines. However, in late 1936, cryptanalysts deciphered radio traffic from the Japanese navy which revealed that the battleship Nagato was capable of speeds in excess of 26 knots (48 km/h). To counter this, it was determined a top speed of 25.8–26.2 kn (47.8–48.5 km/h; 29.7–30.2 mph)

5874-460: A variety of different projectiles, including anti-aircraft (AA), illumination, and white phosphorus (WP) shells, at a rate of fire of 15–22 rounds per minute. The AA shells were 20.75 in long (52.7 cm) and weighed between 54 and 55 lb (24–25 kg), depending on the variant. The illumination and white phosphorus shells were slightly smaller, at 20 in (51 cm) long; the illumination rounds weighed 54.4 lb (24.7 kg) and

6052-449: Is a type of ship disposal involving the breaking up of ships either as a source of parts , which can be sold for re-use, or for the extraction of raw materials , chiefly scrap . Modern ships have a lifespan of 25 to 30 years before corrosion , metal fatigue and a lack of parts render them uneconomical to operate. Ship-breaking allows the materials from the ship, especially steel, to be recycled and made into new products. This lowers

6230-565: Is a viable temporary option, whether on land or afloat, though most ships will eventually be scrapped; some will be sunk, or preserved as museums . Wooden-hulled ships were simply set on fire or "conveniently sunk". In Tudor times (1485–1603), ships were dismantled and the timber re-used. This procedure was no longer applicable with the advent of metal-hulled boats in the 19th century. In 1880 Denny Brothers of Dumbarton used forgings made from scrap maritime steel in their shipbuilding. Many other nations began to purchase British ships for scrap by

6408-536: Is conducted by them. The ship recycling process then begins with the draining of fuel, hydraulic fluid , coolant , lubricating oils and firefighting liquid which may be disposed of or sold to the trade. Any reusable fixtures are sold to the trade. Any kind of waste such as plastic, garbage, or oily sand is sent to waste treatment facilities, like the Common Hazardous Waste Treatment Storage Disposal Facility (CHW-TSDF) set up by

6586-525: Is greater variation in the sources of carriers versus their disposal. The ship-breaking yards of India, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan employ 225,000 workers as well as providing many indirect jobs. In Bangladesh, the recycled steel covers 20% of the country's needs and in India it is almost 10%. As an alternative to ship breaking, ships may be sunk to create artificial reefs after legally mandated removal of hazardous materials (though this does not recycle any materials), or sunk in deep ocean waters. Storage

6764-469: Is no longer economically viable. Dangerous vapours and fumes from burning materials can be inhaled, and dusty asbestos-laden areas are commonplace. Removing the metal for scrap can potentially cost more than the value of the scrap metal itself. In the developing world, however, shipyards can operate without the risk of personal injury lawsuits or workers' health claims , meaning many of these shipyards may operate with high health risks. Protective equipment

6942-521: Is on display as a museum ship in Fall River, Massachusetts. Among the highlights of its service are the blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the afloat recovery teams for Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 . Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was decommissioned in 1973, and brought to Battleship Cove the following year. In the spring of 2000, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. was brought to Rhode Island Sound for

7120-715: Is on display in Fort Wayne. Massachusetts , the third ship of the class, was laid down on 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard of the Bethlehem Steel Corporation in Quincy, Massachusetts . She was launched on 23 September 1941 and commissioned on 12 May 1942. After a shakedown cruise, the battleship departed Casco Bay, Maine on 24 October 1942 to support the Allied invasion of Africa, Operation Torch , as flagship of

7298-456: Is sometimes absent or inadequate. The sandy beaches cannot sufficiently support the heavy equipment, which is thus prone to collapse. Many are injured from explosions when flammable gas is not removed from fuel tanks. In Bangladesh, a local watchdog group claims that, on average, one worker dies per week and one is injured per day. The problem is caused by negligence from national governments, shipyard operators and former ship owners disregarding

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7476-409: Is the largest and most diverse collection of historic naval ships in the world. In the 1990s the organization continued to improve with over sixty new exhibitions related to the historic ships and veterans. The success of the overnight program, high visitation from school groups, and general admissions supported an expanded staff and improved ship maintenance efforts. On June 14, 1997, the Cove acquired

7654-533: The Battle for Leyte Gulf , Okinawa, and Formosa . Moving to the Philippines, the battleship protected Allied ships and troops during the Battle of Mindoro and was part of a force that struck Manila . Massachusetts , along with the rest of TF 38, ran into Typhoon Cobra , which had winds of around 120 kn (140 mph; 220 km/h). She continued to operate with TF 38 from 30 December and 23 January 1945;

7832-458: The Chesapeake Bay and Virginia Capes areas, Navy budget cutbacks severely curtailed operations, but she continued on as a research vessel until April 1996. Hiddensee joined the Battleship Cove fleet in Fall River on June 14, 1997, where she spent 26 years. During her time there, she was moored on the port side of Lionfish . Hiddensee was closed to the public after December 2021 following

8010-578: The Gujarat Maritime Board in Alang. Any usable oil is sent to government authorized refineries where used oil is chemically treated. The next steps entail recovering unused and partially spent materials, disposal of bilge water, recovering and obtaining reusable materials, and safe disposal of bio-hazardous materials like asbestos and glass wool . Each of these materials are inspected and sent to regulated waste treatment facilities or to buyers for further use and processing. In recycling yards in

8188-784: The Kamaishi Steel Works on Honshu (14 July and 9 August), and Hamamatsu on Honshū (29–30 July). South Dakota was present at the Surrender of Japan aboard Missouri on 2 September 1945; she left Tokyo Bay on 20 September for the west coast of the United States. The battleship set sail for Philadelphia on 3 January 1946 to be overhauled; she was designated as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet there in June. Decommissioned on 31 January 1947, South Dakota remained idle until she

8366-496: The North Carolina -class, the machinery was divided into four machinery spaces, each with two boilers and one set of turbines in order to ensure isolation of main propulsion machinery. No longitudinal bulkheads were fitted in the machinery spaces; this was to reduce the risk of asymmetric flooding and capsizing. The vessels had four screws, with the two outboard screws mounted in skegs. Two semi-balanced rudders were mounted behind

8544-408: The North Carolina -class. Two of these turrets were placed in a superfiring pair forward; the third turret was mounted aft of the main superstructure . These guns fired a 2,700 lb (1,200 kg) Mark 8 armor-piercing (AP) shell at a rate of two per minute per gun. The guns could either use a full propellant charge of 535 lb (243 kg), a reduced charge of 295 lb (134 kg), or

8722-511: The Philadelphia Toboggan Company , PTC #54, originally located at Lincoln Park in nearby North Dartmouth, Massachusetts , restored by local vocational high school students and installed in a new pavilion in the early 1990s. A fairground organ provides the carousel's music. The type of organ is unknown, but it plays Wurlitzer 150 rolls. Formally registered as the U.S.S. Massachusetts Memorial Committee, Inc., Battleship Cove

8900-536: The South Dakota s had the outer two compartments filled with liquid, typically fuel oil, while the inner two compartments were void spaces; this was done to mitigate the listing potential from a torpedo strike. The system saw further strengthening and refinements in the subsequent Iowa class, which shared similar geometries. South Dakota ' s keel was laid on 5 July 1939 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation of Camden , New Jersey. She

9078-472: The South Dakota- class ships were the best treaty battleships ever built. The naval historian Norman Friedman stated that the South Dakota design was "a remarkable achievement within very constricting treaty limits." Moreover the final commitment to a higher speed presaged the development of the subsequent Iowa class —the largest, fastest, and final U.S. battleships. As Friedman has written: For half

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9256-538: The United States Navy . They were the second class of battleships to be named after the 40th state ; the first were designed in the 1920s and canceled under the terms of the Washington Naval Treaty . Four ships comprised the class: South Dakota , Indiana , Massachusetts , and Alabama . They were designed to the same treaty standard displacement limit of 35,000 long tons (35,600  t ) as

9434-439: The global recession and lower demand for goods led to an increase in the supply of ships for decommissioning. The rate of scrapping is inversely correlated to the freight price, which collapsed in 2009. The decommissioning process is entirely different in developed countries than it is in third world countries. In both cases, ship-breakers bid for the ship, and the highest bidder wins the contract. The ship-breaker then acquires

9612-597: The reunification of Germany , Hiddensee served with the Federal German Navy until her decommissioning in April 1991. Shortly thereafter she was reactivated and transferred to the U.S. Navy. Joined briefly by a crew of 20 former East German sailors, a small civilian U.S. crew conducted extensive testing with the vessel at the U.S. Navy's Solomons, Maryland facility in the Patuxent River . After 50 underway deployments in

9790-465: The waterline , 680 ft (207.3 m) overall, and 108 ft 2 in (32.97 m) in beam. The design standard displacement was 35,412 long tons (35,980 t), approximately 1.2% overweight; when the ships were commissioned in 1942, the considerable increase in anti-air armament from the contract design increased standard displacement to 37,682 long tons (38,287 t) ( Indiana ' s calculated value on 12 April 1942). Full load displacement

9968-399: The 1.1-inch guns and 1 Oerlikon gun were replaced with an additional 52 Bofors guns, for a total of 68. In December 1944, the battery was again upgraded, with 72 Oerlikon and 72 Bofors guns. In March 1945, the battery was modified for the last time: 5 Oerlikon were added and 4 Bofors were removed. This provided the maximum number of anti-aircraft guns, at 145 guns. The other three ships followed

10146-431: The 16-inch gun could penetrate 13.5 inches (340 mm) of plate, the thickest in an American battleship at the time, even at 25,000 yd (23,000 m). To proof the ship against her own armament—a characteristic known as "balanced armor"—the main belt would have to be increased to 15.5 in (390 mm), which would have increased the weight of the vessel to prohibitive levels. To mitigate this problem, sloped armor

10324-555: The 18th, and Hamamatsu on the 29th and 30th. These turned out to be her last offensive operations of the war. Her last duty in the Far East was to assist in the landing of occupation forces in Japan, after which she departed for the United States. On 9 January 1947, Alabama was placed into the reserve fleet in Bremerton, Washington, where she remained until 1 June 1962, when she was removed from

10502-862: The Basel Convention. According to the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights , workers who attempt to unionize are fired and then blacklisted. The employees have no formal contract or any rights, and sleep in over-crowded hostels. The authorities produce no comprehensive injury statistics, so the problem is underestimated. Child labour is also widespread: 20% of Bangladesh's ship breaking workforce are below 15 years of age, mainly involved in cutting with gas torches. There is, however, an active ship-breaker's union in Mumbai, India (Mumbai Port Trust Dock and General Employees' Union) since 2003 with 15,000 members, which strikes to ensure fatality compensation. It has set up

10680-710: The Battleship Cove Community Boating Program, the Raytheon Inspiring Technological Exploration (RITE) Program, and the Veterans’ Voices Oral History Program The largest vessel in the Battleship Cove fleet, the South Dakota class battleship USS  Massachusetts , is the centerpiece of the collection. Known as "Big Mamie" to her crewmembers during World War II, she was the seventh ship of

10858-585: The Boston Navy Yard. After the refitting, the ship sailed for the Pacific theater, and arrived in Nouméa on 4 March. The battleship supported operations in the South Pacific over the next months, including guarding convoy lanes, escorting aircraft carriers, and bombarding Japanese positions on various islands, including Nauru (8 December 1943) and Kwajalein (30 January 1944). Returning to carrier protection after

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11036-492: The British Home Fleet . This deployment lasted until 1 August; the ship then traveled to Norfolk and then the Pacific, arriving at Efate on 14 September. Moving to Fiji on 7 November, she joined Battleship Divisions 8 and 9, which supported Allied forces in the Battle of Tarawa , among other battles. Along with five other battleships, she fired upon Nauru Island on 6 December 1943. The day of 29 January 1944 saw

11214-774: The Chesapeake Bay on 11 November, which culminated in Casco Bay, Maine. Minor repairs were carried out in Norfolk, after which the big ship returned to Casco Bay to conduct training maneuvers with her sister, South Dakota . Beginning in March 1943, Alabama was assigned to the British Home Fleet, and tasked with convoy escort duties on the route to the Soviet Union. She was relieved of these duties in July so that she could return to Norfolk for

11392-764: The Convention at the time it was adopted. Croatia deposited the 66th ratification in September 2019, and the Ban Amendment entered into force 25 years after adoption on December 5, 2019. However, the European Union had already enacted the Ban Amendment unilaterally through the European Waste Shipment Regulation, which incorporated the Basel Convention and the Ban Amendment into European Union law in February 1993,

11570-456: The Deficiency Authorization of 25 June 1938. The "Escalator Clause" of the Second London Naval Treaty had been activated in the U.S. Navy so it could begin work on the follow-on Iowa -class battleships , but Congress was willing to approve only the 35,000-ton battleships. A number of deficiencies in the preceding North Carolina s were to be fixed in the South Dakota s; these included insufficient underwater protection and turbine engines not of

11748-444: The European Commission attempted to apply the WSR to end-of-life ships, it encountered numerous obstacles and evasion. This is because, in enforcing the Ban Amendment, the European Waste WSR considers it illegal to recycle any ship that has started its last voyage from a European Union port in Bangladesh, China, India, or Pakistan, regardless of the flag the ship flies. These four non-OECD countries have consistently recycled around 95% of

11926-410: The European Union replaced its previous regulation with the Waste Shipment Regulation (EC) No 1013/2006 (the WSR), which also unilaterally implemented the Ban Amendment, prohibiting the export of hazardous wastes from European Union member states to any developing (i.e. non-OECD), countries and regulating their export to OECD countries through the Basel Convention's prior informed consent mechanism. When

12104-411: The FY1937 building program, and in 1936, the General Board met to discuss the two battleships to be allocated to FY1938. The General Board argued for two more North Carolina s, but Admiral William H. Standley , the Chief of Naval Operations , wanted the ships to be of a new design. That meant construction could not begin by 1938, so the ships were assigned to FY1939. Design work started in March 1937 and

12282-406: The General Board, naval architects produced a series of alternatives. Among these were longer, faster ships armed with 14-inch guns in triple turrets, slower ships with 14-inch guns in quadruple turrets, improved versions of the North Carolina class, and a ship of 27 knots (50 km/h) armed with nine 16-in guns in a similar configuration to the North Carolina s. Arguments arose, frequently over

12460-622: The HKC in various class societies. This exclusion has led to many ship owners changing the flag to evade the regulations, and many excluded countries to strive towards bringing the HKC into force as the universal regulation, arguing that it would be irrational if international shipping were regulated by multiple and competing standards. Seventy percent of ships are simply run ashore in developing countries for disassembly, where (particularly in older vessels) potentially toxic materials such as asbestos , lead , polychlorinated biphenyls and heavy metals along with lax industrial safety standards pose

12638-410: The Hong Kong Convention was finally adopted in 2009. However, the convention will only come into universal force 24 months after the date on which the following conditions are met: As of 2 April 2023, 20 countries have acceded to the HKC, making up 30.16% of the world's merchant shipping by gross tonnage, with a combined maximum annual ship recycling volume of the States at 2.6% of the gross tonnage of

12816-495: The Indian subcontinent, ships are run ashore on gently sloping sand tidal beaches at high tide so that they can be accessed for disassembly. In the beaching method, no external source of energy is used to pull the ship, as opposed to the dry dock method of ship recycling where a ship is floated into the dry dock using a substantial amount of energy. However, maneuvering a large ship onto a beach at high speed takes skill and daring even for

12994-463: The Indian subcontinent, specifically in Alang, upgraded facilities such as 100% impervious floors with drainage systems, heavy-lift cranes, yard and vessel-specific training for workers, and the development and implementation of Ship Recycling Facility Plans and Ship Recycling Plans (as per IMO's guidelines in Resolutions MEPC.210(63) and MEPC.196(62)) have been implemented. In developed countries

13172-550: The International Maritime Organisation for a newer convention in 2004. Thus, the Hong Kong Convention came into existence. In essence, the Convention aims to ensure that ships, when being recycled after reaching the end of their operational lives, do not pose any unnecessary risks to human health, safety and the environment. The convention covers regulations including: With much more sound standards of ship recycling, easier implementation and better supervision,

13350-628: The Mark 12/22. Unlike the preceding North Carolina -class battleships, the South Dakota s were designed to be resistant against 16-inch shellfire. The protection zone against the 2,240 lb projectile fired by the 16-inch/45 cal. guns of the Colorado class was 17,700 to 30,900 yd (16.2 to 28.3 km). To remain within treaty displacement limits, the belt armor was only slightly thicker while being considerably more inclined; this necessitating an internal belt arrangement in order to retain adequate waterline beam for stability. The immune zone of

13528-500: The NGO Shipbreaking Platform, the Institute for Global Labour and Human Rights and ToxicsWatch Alliance are lobbying for improvements in the industry. In recent years, ship breaking has become an issue of environmental concern beyond the health of the yard workers. Many ship breaking yards operate in developing nations with lax or no environmental law , enabling large quantities of highly toxic materials to escape into

13706-460: The Puget Sound naval yard; the work consisted primarily of improvements to her guns and radar equipment. By early May the ship returned to fleet operations. She was tasked with providing anti-aircraft support to the fast carrier groups that were launching air strikes on the Japanese main island of Kyushu . In July 1945, she shelled a number of areas in Japan, including Kamaishi on the 14th, Hitachi on

13884-481: The Third Fleet and Massachusetts set course for Japan; the battleship protected carriers while they launched raids on Tokyo, then moved closer to land to hit targets with gunfire. Massachusetts attacked Japan's second largest iron and steel center, Kamaishi on Honshū, on 14 July; Hamamatsu on 28 July; and Kamaishi on 9 August. The latter bombardment was probably the last 16-inch shell fired during World War II. With

14062-547: The United States Navy to be named in honor of the sixth state. Her keel was laid down 20 July 1939 at the Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts . She was launched on 23 September 1941 sponsored by Mrs. Charles Francis Adams III , and commissioned on 12 May 1942 at Boston, Massachusetts, with Captain Francis E. M. Whiting in command. Massachusetts received eleven battle stars for World War II service and earned

14240-459: The United States work primarily on government-surplus vessels. Starting in the mid-20th century, East Asian countries with lower labour costs began to dominate ship-breaking. As labour costs rose, centres of the ship-breaking industry moved—initially from countries such as Japan and Hong Kong, to Korea and Taiwan and then to China. For example, the southern port city of Kaohsiung in Taiwan operated as

14418-468: The WP shells were 53 lb (24 kg). The guns used three different charges, depending on the situation: a full charge, a full flashless charge, and a reduced charge. The standard full charge weighed 15.2–15.5 lb (6.9–7.0 kg), the flashless charge was slightly heavier at 16 lb (7.3 kg), and the reduced charge was significantly smaller, at 3.6 lb (1.6 kg). Both full charges provided

14596-585: The Western Naval Task Force. Along with the heavy cruisers Tuscaloosa and Wichita and four destroyers, Massachusetts sailed to Casablanca on the evening of 7 November. The incomplete French battleship Jean Bart , missing one of her quadruple 380 mm/45 caliber gun turrets, was in the harbor, having traveled there in 1940 to escape the German invasion of France. American planes were fired upon and two French submarines were spotted leaving

14774-602: The agreement. However, nearly 96 of the 120 ship recycling yards in India have achieved Statements of Compliance (SoC) with the Hong Kong Convention by various IACS class societies—including ClassNK , IRClass , Lloyd's Register and RINA. In addition, a yard in Chattogram, Bangladesh has also become the first one to achieve an SoC by ClassNK in January 2020, having first achieved a RINA SoC in 2017. Furthermore, to encourage

14952-412: The aircraft and the torpedo it had dropped, with no damage to the ship. Shortly thereafter, a second Japanese plane was shot down, but a third managed to crash into the ship. The aircraft disintegrated upon striking the side armor plates and scattered pieces of the plane across the stern. Five men were injured, but the ship suffered only very slight damage. Indiana returned to Puget Sound naval yard for

15130-689: The battleship was given to the Massachusetts Memorial Committee on 8 June 1965 to become a museum ship in Fall River , Massachusetts; she has been located in " Battleship Cove " ever since. Construction work on Alabama , the fourth and final member of the South Dakota class, began on 1 February 1940 in the Norfolk Navy Yard with the keel laying. She was launched on 16 February 1942 and commissioned into service six months later, on 16 August. Alabama sailed on her shakedown cruise from

15308-613: The battleship was recognized as the official memorial to Massachusetts citizens who gave their lives in World War II and her interior spaces were reconfigured to accommodate exhibits. In 1972, USS  Lionfish , a World War II-era Balao -class submarine , joined the battleship for public display. Also that year, the Nautical Nights overnight camping program commenced as a model program, enrolling more than 500,000 youths to date. The following year, USS  Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. ,

15486-512: The battleships damaged during the attack that started the war . After Indiana returned to active duty, she participated in the invasion of Hollandia in western New Guinea. The ship then returned to the central Pacific and bombarded Truk, and subsequently took part in operations off the Marianas Islands. On 19 June 1944 a Japanese torpedo bomber attempted to attack the ship, but Indiana ' s anti-aircraft gunners managed to destroy both

15664-481: The centerline and 17.3 inches (439 mm) on the sides. Secondary battery turrets and handling spaces are protected by 2 inches (51 mm) STS. The conning tower is protected by 16-inch (406 mm) thick armor. The underwater protection was an internal "bulge" that consists of four longitudinal torpedo bulkheads forming a multi-layered system designed to absorb the energy from an underwater explosion equivalent to 700 pounds of TNT (1.3 GJ). The protection system

15842-651: The coast of Japan. When hostilities ended on 15 August she headed for San Francisco and was decommissioned at Mare Island Navy Yard on 16 January 1946. Lionfish was recommissioned on 31 January 1951, and headed for the East Coast for training cruises. After participating in NATO exercises and a Mediterranean cruise, she returned to the East Coast and was decommissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 15 December 1953. In 1960,

16020-440: The combined merchant shipping of the same States. This leaves the second and third conditions yet to be fulfilled for the HKC to enter into force. Nearly 96 of India's 120 operational ship recycling yards have achieved Statements of Compliance (SoC) with the Hong Kong Convention by various IACS class societies—including ClassNK , IRClass , Lloyd's Register and RINA. In addition, a yard in Chattogram, Bangladesh has also become

16198-403: The country's beaching locations are now at risk from sea level rise. Twenty-one fish and crustacean species have been wiped out in the country as a result of the industry as well. Lead, organotins such as tributyltin in anti-fouling paints, polychlorinated organic compounds, by-products of combustion such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , dioxins and furans are found in ships and pose

16376-414: The decision to scrap a ship is often made in international waters , where the convention has no jurisdiction. The "Ban Amendment" to the Basel Convention was adopted in March 1994, prohibiting the export of hazardous wastes from OECD countries to non-OECD countries. The Amendment would enter into force 90 days after it has been ratified by at least three-quarters of the 87 countries that were Parties to

16554-438: The decision to scrap a ship is often made in international waters , where the convention has no jurisdiction. The Hong Kong Convention is a compromise. It allows ships to be exported for recycling, as long as various stipulations are met: All water-craft must have an inventory and every shipyard needs to publish a recycling plan to protect the environment. The Hong Kong Convention was adopted in 2009 but with few countries signing

16732-456: The demand for mined iron ore and reduces energy use in the steelmaking process. Fixtures and other equipment on board the vessels can also be reused. While ship-breaking is sustainable, there are concerns about its use by poorer countries without stringent environmental legislation. It is also labour-intensive, and considered one of the world's most dangerous industries. In 2012, roughly 1,250 ocean ships were broken down, and their average age

16910-440: The destruction of concentrated organic waste types, including PCBs, pesticides, and other persistent organic pollutants. Dangerous chemicals can also be permanently stored in landfills as long as leaching is prevented. Valuable metals, such as copper or aluminum in electric cable, that are mixed with other materials may be recovered by the use of shredders and separators in the same fashion as e-waste recycling . The shredders cut

17088-520: The dismantling process mirrors the technical guidelines for the environmentally sound management of the full and partial dismantling of ships, published by the Basel Convention in 2003. Recycling rates of 98% can be achieved in these facilities. Prior to dismantling, an inventory of dangerous substances is compiled. All hazardous materials and liquids, such as bilge water , are removed before disassembly. Holes are bored for ventilation and all flammable vapours are extracted. Vessels are initially taken to

17266-514: The draft for two battleships was formally approved by the Secretary of the Navy on 23 June. More specific characteristics for the two ships were ironed out, and those were approved on 4 January 1938. The ships were formally ordered on 4 April 1938. Due to the deteriorating international situations in Europe and Asia, Congress authorized a further two battleships of the new design, for a total of four, under

17444-408: The drawbacks of the inclined belt, it sloped outward from the keel , then back in towards the armored deck . This meant that shells fired at relatively close range would hit the upper portion of the belt at an angle, which maximized armor protection. However, the effectiveness of the upper portion of the belt was degraded at longer ranges, because plunging fire would strike it at an angle closer to

17622-437: The electronics into metallic and non-metallic pieces. Metals are extracted using magnetic separators, air flotation separator columns, shaker tables, or eddy currents . Plastic almost always contains regulated hazardous waste (e.g., asbestos, PCBs, hydrocarbons) and cannot be melted down. Large objects, such as engine parts, are extracted and sold as they become accessible. The hull is cut into 300-tonne sections, starting with

17800-494: The end of the war, the ships were equipped with air and surface-search radars and radar fire-control. When commissioned, the ships were equipped with the SC air-search radar. This radar would eventually get replaced by the SK and SK-2 air-search radar. The main battery directors were fitted with Mark 3 fire-control radar, which were replaced by the Mark 8 starting in 1942. This radar gave these ships

17978-501: The enforcement of regulation thereof and a 'Green Passport' scheme. Water-craft must have an inventory of hazardous material before they are scrapped, and the facilities must meet health & safety requirements. The International Labour Organization created a voluntary set of guidelines for occupational safety in 2003. Nevertheless, Greenpeace found that even pre-existing mandatory regulation has had little noticeable effect for labourers, due to government corruption, yard owner secrecy and

18156-435: The final letter of their name chipped off. In the 1930s it became cheaper to "beach" a boat by running her ashore—as opposed to using a dry dock. The ship would have to weigh as little as possible and would run ashore at full speed. Dismantling operations required a 10-foot (3 m) rise of tide and close proximity to a steel-works. Electric shears , a wrecking ball and oxy-acetylene torches were used. The technique of

18334-511: The first one to achieve an SoC by ClassNK in January 2020, having first achieved a RINA SoC in 2017. Furthermore, to encourage the growth of India's vital ship recycling sector, in November 2019, the Government of India acceded to the Hong Kong Convention for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and became the only South Asian country and major ship recycling destination so far to take such

18512-569: The following month, in March 1944. The ship conducted anti-aircraft defense operations during the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June 1944. After that, she joined other battleships that were providing gunfire support to the ground troops in the Marianas islands. She was assigned to Task Force 34 during the Battle of Leyte Gulf in October 1944. In early 1945, Alabama returned for repair and refit work at

18690-463: The four largest battleships the U.S. Navy produced were not much more than 33-knot versions of the 27-knot, 35,000 tonners that had preceded them. The Iowa s showed no advance at all in protection over the South Dakota s. The principal armament improvement was a more powerful 16-inch gun, 5 calibers longer. Ten thousand tons was a very great deal to pay for 6 knots. The South Dakota –class battleships were 666 ft (203 m) long at

18868-406: The full load displacement considerably towards the end of the war; by 1945, South Dakota ' s full load displacement was some 46,200 long tons (46,900 t), and Massachusetts reached up to 47,006 long tons (47,760 t) at emergency load. The hull featured a bulbous bow, triple bottom under the armored citadel, and skegs , characteristics shared by all American fast battleships. Unlike

19046-551: The general environment and causing serious health problems among ship-breakers, the local population and wildlife. Environmental campaign groups such as Greenpeace have made the issue a high priority for their activities. Along the Indian subcontinent, ecologically important mangrove forests, a valuable source of protection from tropical storms and monsoons, have been cut down to provide space for water-craft disassembly. In Bangladesh, for example, 40,000 mangrove trees were illegally chopped down in 2009. The World Bank has found that

19224-422: The growth of India's vital ship recycling sector, in November 2019 the Government of India acceded to the Hong Kong Convention for Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships and became the only South Asian country and major ship recycling destination so far to take such a positive step. South Dakota-class battleship (1939) The South Dakota class was a group of four fast battleships built by

19402-440: The harbor; at 07:03 the coastal battery at El Hank opened fire on Massachusetts . It was mistakenly assumed that the gunfire had come from Jean Bart , so the order to neutralize the battleship was given. Massachusetts hit Jean Bart five times, and in the process disabled the one active main battery turret. Massachusetts also severely damaged the destroyer Milan , which subsequently had to be beached. Four merchant ships and

19580-572: The hazards of their work. In addition to this, GMB has also included regular medical examinations of workers exposed to bio-hazardous materials, provision of medical facilities at the Red Cross Hospital in Alang, mobile medical vans and health awareness programmes. Several United Nations committees are increasing their coverage of ship-breakers' human rights. In 2006, the International Maritime Organisation developed legally binding global legislation which concerns vessel design, vessel recycling and

19758-449: The hull is cut up. Asbestos , found in the engine room, is isolated and stored in custom-made plastic wrapping prior to being placed in secure steel containers, which are then landfilled. Many hazardous wastes can be recycled into new products. Examples include lead-acid batteries or electronic circuit boards. Another commonly used treatment is cement -based solidification and stabilization . Cement kilns are used because they can treat

19936-515: The increasing number of Kamikazes that were attacking the invasion fleet. Indiana continued in these duties until the end of the war in August 1945. In 1947, Indiana was put into the reserve fleet at Puget Sound. She was finally struck from the Navy List on 1 June 1962, and sold for scrapping on 6 September 1963 for $ 418,387. The ship breaking was finished in 1964. The battleship's mast was given to Indiana University at Bloomington, and her anchor

20114-516: The invasion of the Marshall Islands; on 1 February 1944, the battleship Washington collided with Indiana on her starboard side. 13 of the voids between the torpedo protection system and 13 fuel tanks were flooded, and the longitudinal bulkheads were severely damaged. The starboard outboard propeller was damaged, along with the shaft upon which it was mounted. Two quad-mount 40 mm guns and nine 20 mm guns were destroyed, along with two of

20292-607: The issue of speed; the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet (CINCUS) refused to allow the new ship to drop below 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph), the Battle Force argued at least 27 knots (50 km/h; 31 mph) was necessary to maintain homogeneity in the line of battle, and the president of the War College maintained a fast ship was optimal, but the navy would continue to operate

20470-461: The late 19th century, including Germany , Italy , the Netherlands and Japan. The Italian industry started in 1892, and the Japanese industry after the passing of an 1896 law to subsidise native shipbuilding. After suffering damage or disaster, liner operators did not want the name of a broken ship to tarnish the brand of their passenger services. Many Victorian ships made their final voyages with

20648-724: The latter bombardment, Massachusetts provided anti-aircraft defense while Allied air attacks were sent against Saipan, Tinian and Guam ; she also supported later invasions of the Caroline Islands and Hollandia . After bombarding Ponape Island on 1 May, the ship set course for the Puget Sound Navy Yard for an overhaul and to have her gun barrels relined, as they had worn out. Back on active duty, Massachusetts departed Pearl Harbor on 1 August. Joining Task Force 38 , she supported forces landing around Leyte Gulf , and provided cover for task groups attacking Japanese warships in

20826-440: The magazines, the splinter deck is replaced with a 1-inch (25 mm) STS third deck. The South Dakota s had considerable main battery turret protection; the turret face plates are 18-inch (457 mm) Class B, the sides are 9.5-inch (241 mm) Class A, the rear is 12-inch (305 mm) Class A, and the roof is 7.25-inch (184 mm) Class B. The barbettes are protected by Class A armor 11.3 inches (287 mm) thick along

21004-503: The maximum effective elevation to engage surface targets, 45 degrees, the guns could hit targets up to 17,392 yards (15,903 m) away. The maximum height at which aircraft could be engaged was 37,200 feet (11,300 m). The ships had a variety of anti-aircraft weapons, and the weapons mounted changed over time. Initially, the ships were designed to mount twelve .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns and twelve 1.1 in (27.9 mm) autocannon . By March 1942, when South Dakota

21182-415: The most recent technology. The North Carolina s also did not have sufficient space to act as fleet flagships , so the lead ship of the new class was designed with an extra deck on the conning tower specifically for this purpose, although the increase in space and weight from this necessitated removal of two twin 5-inch dual-purpose (DP) gun mounts. There was a great deal of debate on the requirements for

21360-502: The mounts for the 20 mm guns. Indiana ' s starboard catapult was torn from the ship, along with the Kingfisher float plane that had been sitting on it. The ship suffered a list to starboard, which was corrected by flooding compartments on the port side. Indiana sailed to Majuro Lagoon to be repaired enough to make the voyage back to Pearl Harbor; the resulting work was the largest single repair handled at Pearl Harbor other than

21538-510: The movie Thirteen Days , portraying both herself and USS  John R. Pierce . USS Lionfish (SS-298), a Balao -class submarine, was the only ship of the United States Navy named for the lionfish , a scorpaenoid fish found in the West Indies and the tropical Pacific. After completing her shakedown cruise off New England , she began her first war patrol in Japanese waters on 1 April 1945. Ten days later, she dodged two torpedoes fired by

21716-407: The new battleships. The design board drew up a number of proposals; one called for a ship with nine 16-inch (406 mm) guns in three triple turrets , 5.9-inch-thick (150 mm) deck armor that would have made the ship immune to plunging fire out to 30,000 yards (27,000 m), and a top speed of at least 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph). The belt armor was a much more intractable problem;

21894-478: The nine 16-inch guns. By late 1937 a proposed design was agreed on, requiring only small modifications to save weight and increase the fields of fire. Berths for the crew, even the staterooms for senior officers, along with mess halls were reduced in size, and ventilation ports were completely removed, forcing the ship to rely completely on artificial air circulation. Despite the compromises made, naval historians William Garzke and Robert Dulin would later argue that

22072-419: The older 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) battleships until the 1950s and so a higher speed was not strictly necessary—though, crucially, it would mean the class would have been too slow to act in what would emerge as the most critical role for battleships, as escorts for fast carrier task forces . The primary 666-ft design was the only plan that could meet the specified requirements for speed, protection, and

22250-407: The perpendicular, increasing their ability to penetrate the armor. It did reduce the area that needed to be covered by the armored deck, which saved additional weight. This enabled the upper belt to be thicker, which to an extent ameliorated the vulnerability to plunging fire. Because the belt was internal, it provided the opportunity to extend it to the inner portion of the double bottom , which gave

22428-431: The preceding North Carolina class and had the same main battery of nine 16"/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three-gun turrets, but were more compact and better protected. The ships can be visually distinguished from the earlier vessels by their single funnel, compared to twin funnels in the North Carolina s. Construction began shortly before World War II , with Fiscal Year (FY) 1939 appropriations. Commissioning through

22606-490: The preceding North Carolina -class and the subsequent Iowa -class, the South Dakota s mounted the outboard propulsion shafts in skegs rather than the inboard ones. Compared to the North Carolina s, the slightly shorter hull form resulted in improved maneuverability, and the vibration problems had been considerably reduced. The South Dakota –class battleships carried a main battery of nine 16 inches (406 mm)/45 caliber Mark 6 guns in three three-gun turrets, identical to

22784-462: The rearmost turret was masked behind the amidships mount. The gunner in the rearmost turret accidentally overrode the safety mechanism that prevented the gun from firing in that circumstance, and when the gun was fired, it hit the 5-inch turret in front of it. Five men were killed and 11 wounded in the incident; an investigation revealed that the override switch was faulty and prone to accidental operation. Alabama shot down her first Japanese aircraft

22962-481: The recycling of European-flagged ships. This led the European Commission in 2012 to propose the development of a new European Regulation on Ship Recycling. To overcome the difficulties of the Basel Convention in terms of the inordinate time and effort required in gaining the consent of all countries involved in its due time, and to highlight regulations that this convention left out, its governing body requested

23140-405: The ship below the waterline. The ends of the armored citadel are protected by 11.3-inch (287 mm) thick traverse bulkheads. The horizontal deck protection is made of three layers: a 1.5-inch (38 mm) STS weather deck (also called "bomb deck"), a combined 5.75–6.05-inch (146–154 mm) Class B and STS second deck, and a 0.625-inch (16 mm) STS splinter deck over the machinery spaces. Over

23318-410: The ship better underwater protection than the North Carolina s. Ultimately, the complex double incline belt armor was abandoned when it became apparent that a single slanted belt could provide similar protection, and save several hundred tons of weight. The size of the hull was also a problem: a longer hull generally equates to a higher top speed, but requires more armor to protect it. In order to keep

23496-518: The ship bombard Roi-Namur before she moved away to protect the carriers assigned to provide air support for multiple amphibious assaults on islands within Kwajalein Atoll . South Dakota provided anti-aircraft support for various fast carrier task forces until June, when she bombarded Saipan and Tinian . The battleship took part in the so-called " Marianas Turkey Shoot ", where more than 300 attacking Japanese aircraft were shot down, though she

23674-456: The ship down to a bare hull, with objects cut free using saws, grinders, abrasive cutting wheels, hand-held shears, plasma , and gas torches. Anything of value, such as spare parts and electronic equipment is sold for re-use, although labour costs mean that low-value items are not economical to sell. The Basel Convention demands that all yards separate hazardous and non-hazardous waste and have appropriate storage units, and this must be done before

23852-568: The ship for scrapping. In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic crippled the cruise ship trade , cruise vessels began to appear more frequently in ship breaking facilities. Until the late 20th century the majority of ship breaking activity took place in the port cities of industrialized countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States . As of 2020 those dismantlers that still remain in

24030-559: The ship, knocking out radio communications and three fire control radars along with destroying the main radar set. Partial repairs courtesy of Prometheus ' crew allowed South Dakota to sail for New York; after the ship's arrival on 18 December 1942, she was given an overhaul and the battle damage was completely fixed. Departing the yard on 25 February 1943, South Dakota underwent sea trials before escorting Ranger in North Atlantic operations until mid-April, when she joined

24208-589: The shipment between the authorities of the country exporting the hazardous wastes with the authorities of the importing country. Though the Basel Convention has notably reduced illegal exports of hazardous wastes to countries that are unable to process and dispose of them in an environmentally sound manner, it has failed to define the minimum standards of recycling soundly. It also completely ignores important aspects such as workers' safety and falls short in overcoming bureaucratic barriers when it comes to communication between exporting and importing countries. Furthermore,

24386-487: The ships at a design speed of 27.5 knots (50.9 km/h; 31.6 mph). The displacement of the vessels gradually increased over World War II, mainly due to additional light anti-aircraft gun placements and greater fuel oil carriage to refuel smaller escorts. By 1945, Alabama achieved 27.08 knots (50.2 km/h; 31.2 mph) at 42,740 long tons (43,430 t) on 133,070 shp (99,230 kW). The ships carried about 6,600 long tons (6,700 t) of fuel oil, which gave

24564-751: The ships struck Formosa and Okinawa, provided cover for an amphibious assault on Lingayen , and made forays into the South China Sea to attack Japanese shipping and airfields . In February–early March 1945, Massachusetts provided anti-aircraft cover for airborne raids on Honshū, Iwo Jima and Kyushu. On 24 March, the ship bombarded Okinawa; for the remainder of that month and a majority of April, Massachusetts once again provided anti-aircraft defense, this time for Allied ships massed near Okinawa. On 5 June, she suffered through another typhoon, Louise , this one with 100 kn (120 mph; 190 km/h) winds. Five days later, she bombarded Minamidaitō . 1 July saw

24742-552: The side armor against the 16-inch guns used by the South Dakota s themselves was smaller due to the introduction of the 2,700 lbs Mark 8 Super Heavy shell; against such a shell, the armor was effective only at ranges between 20,500 and 26,400 yd (18.7 and 24.1 km). Abreast of the 1.25-inch (32 mm) Special Treatment Steel (STS) outer hull plating, the South Dakota s' internal armor belt consists of 12.2-inch (310 mm) thick Class A Krupp cemented (K.C.) armor mounted on 0.875-inch (22 mm) thick STS plate, and

24920-485: The southern end of Kaohsiung Harbor. There were a total of 24 breaking berths at Kaohsiung; each berth was rented by the scrapper from the Port Authority at a nominal rate of NT$ 7 per square foot per month, and up to 18,000 square feet (1,700 m ) could be rented surrounding a 300-foot-long (91 m) berth at a time. A typical 5,000-ton ship could be broken up in 25 to 30 days. The process began with "cleaning",

25098-561: The submarine was called to duty again, this time serving as a reserve training submarine at Providence, Rhode Island . In 1971, she was stricken from the Navy Register , and in 1973, she was unveiled for permanent display as a memorial at Battleship Cove, where she has evolved into one of the museum’s most popular exhibits and a monument to all submariners. Originally commissioned by the East German Navy] as Rudolf Egelhofer , Hiddensee

25276-486: The summer of 1942, the four ships served in both the Atlantic, ready to intercept possible German capital ship sorties , and the Pacific, in carrier groups and shore bombardments. All four ships were retired shortly after World War II; South Dakota and Indiana were scrapped in the 1960s, Massachusetts and Alabama were retained as museum ships . The preceding two North Carolina -class battleships had been assigned to

25454-420: The superfiring II turret was not able to depress. This enabled a maximum range of 36,900 yards (33,700 m) with the Mark 8 projectile. The turrets were able to train 150 degrees in both directions from the centerline, which enabled a wide arc of fire. The guns could be elevated or depressed at a rate of 12 degrees per second, and the turrets could train at 4 degrees per second. South Dakota

25632-628: The time closely resembles that used in developing countries as of 2020 . Thos. W. Ward Ltd., one of the largest breakers in the United Kingdom in the 1930s, would recondition and sell all furniture and machinery. Many historical artifacts were sold at public auctions: the Cunarder RMS ; Mauretania , sold as scrap for £78,000 , received high bids for her fittings worldwide. However, any weapons and military information, even if obsolete, were carefully removed by Navy personnel before turning over

25810-566: The toxic wastes. On 6 January 2006 the Supreme Court of India temporarily denied access to Alang, and the French Conseil d'État ordered Clemenceau to return to French waters. Able UK in Hartlepool received a new disassembly contract to use accepted practices in scrapping the ship. The dismantling started on 18 November 2009 and the break-up was completed by the end of 2010; the event

25988-413: The triple bottom structure and the joint was reinforced with buttstraps due to the structural discontinuity from the slight knuckle. It was hoped that extending the armor belt to the triple bottom as one of the torpedo bulkheads can help increase the protection of the system compared to the one used by the previous North Carolina -class. However, caisson tests in 1939 indicated that the South Dakota system

26166-470: The turbines. The propulsion system was arranged as close together as possible, and the evaporators and distilling equipment were placed in the machinery rooms. This provided enough additional space behind the armored belt to add a second plotting room. By this time, the design process had established that the hull was to be 666 ft long (203 m) between perpendiculars and incorporate the single internal sloped armor belt. However, in case of rejection by

26344-448: The two forward main gun turrets. The shell penetrated the deck armor and started a small fire that was quickly extinguished. At this time, the French cruiser Primauguet and another two destroyers left the port. Massachusetts and Tuscaloosa sank the destroyer Fougueux , and at 10:05 a 16-inch shell from Massachusetts struck the destroyer Milan , and put her out of action. Primaguet

26522-483: The two inboard screws. As completed, the ships had all four-bladed propellers, but vibration tests would result in the ships of the class having different propeller blade arrangements throughout the war. Massachusetts and Alabama had five blades in the outboard propellers and four blades inboard, while Indiana had three blades inboard. The power output was 130,000 shp (97,000 kW), while overloading permitted up to 135,000 shp (101,000 kW), which drove

26700-536: The upper deck and working slowly downwards. While oxy-acetylene gas torches are most commonly used, detonation charges can quickly remove large sections of the hull. These sections are transported to an electric arc furnace to be melted down into new ferrous products, though toxic paint must be stripped prior to heating. At Kaohsiung in the late 1960s and '70s, ships to be scrapped were tied up at berths in Dah Jen and Dah Lin Pu, at

26878-447: The vessel from the international broker who deals in outdated ships. The price paid is approximately $ 400 per tonne; regions with more lax environmental legislation typically can offer higher prices. For the industry in Bangladesh, 69% of revenue is spent on purchasing vessels; only 2% is labour costs. The ship is taken to the decommissioning location either under its own power or with the use of tugs. In developing countries, chiefly

27056-532: The war ended. USS Massachusetts is one of eight United States battleships of the many that were produced in the first half of the 20th century remaining as museum ships . USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. (DD-850) is a Gearing -class destroyer of the United States Navy. The ship was named after Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. , a naval aviator, son of the former Ambassador to Britain Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and older brother of future President John F. Kennedy . Joseph P. Kennedy Jr.

27234-674: The war over, Massachusetts voyaged to the Puget Sound Navy Yard once more for an overhaul; once completed, she left on 28 January 1946 and operated off the California coast before setting course for Hampton Roads via the Panama Canal. After she arrived on 22 April, Massachusetts was decommissioned on 27 March 1947 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet; she was struck from the Naval Register on 1 June 1962, but not scrapped. Instead,

27412-666: The world's leading dismantling site in the late 1960s and 1970s, breaking up 220 ships totaling 1.6 million tons in 1972 alone; in 1977 Taiwan continued to dominate the industry with more than half the market share, followed by Spain and Pakistan. At the time, Bangladesh had no capacity at all. However, the sector is volatile and fluctuates wildly, and Taiwan processed just two ships 13 years later as wages across East Asia rose. For comparison, depending on their profession, shipbreakers in Kaohsiung earned from NT$ 40 (day labourer) to NT$ 180 (torch operator) per day in 1973. In 1960, after

27590-464: The world's tonnage. In fact, according to a study conducted by the European Commission in 2011, at least 91% of ships covered by the WSR disobeyed or circumvented its requirements. The European Commission admitted publicly that enforcing its own Waste Shipment Regulation to recycle ships had not been successful. The commission, unable to wait for the HKC to take effect, began developing new legislation to regulate

27768-593: Was launched on 7 June 1941 and commissioned on 20 March 1942. She went on a shakedown cruise in June after her fitting out was complete. In August–September, the battleship voyaged from the Atlantic to the Pacific through the Panama Canal ; she struck a coral reef soon after arriving in the Tonga Islands and had to sail to the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard for repairs, which took about a month. South Dakota

27946-402: Was less effective due to the rigidity of the armor belt causing force of the detonation to significantly displace the final holding bulkhead inwards despite remaining watertight. This and several further subscale caisson tests resulted in several modifications, including the system's liquid loading scheme; whereas the North Carolina s had the third and fourth outboard compartments liquid loaded,

28124-596: Was stricken from the Naval Register on 1 June 1962 and sold for scrap to the Lipsett Division of Luria Brothers and Company, Inc. on 25 October. The ship is memorialized at Sioux Falls, South Dakota , where memorabilia and parts of the battleship are displayed within an outline of the main deck. A screw from South Dakota is on display outside the U.S. Navy Museum in Washington, D.C. Indiana ' s keel

28302-607: Was 26 years. In 2013, the world total of demolished ships amounted to 29,052,000 tonnes, 92% of which were demolished in Asia. As of January 2020, Alang Ship Breaking Yard in India has the largest global share at 30%, followed by Chittagong Ship Breaking Yard in Bangladesh and Gadani Ship Breaking Yard in Pakistan . The largest sources of ships are China, Greece, and Germany, although there

28480-418: Was 44,519 long tons (45,233 t) when commissioned, with a mean draft of 34 ft 11.25 in (10.6 m) at this displacement. At the design combat displacement of 42,545 long tons (43,228 t), the mean draft was 33 ft 9.813 in (10.3 m) while metacentric height was 7.18 ft (2.2 m). The addition of more anti-aircraft mounts during the ships' service in World War II increased

28658-708: Was a Baltimore -class heavy cruiser launched 13 1944. In 1946 she participated in the Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons tests in the Marshall Islands , followed by a short tour of duty in the Far East in 1947, after which she was placed out of commission in reserve at the Puget Sound Navy Yard . The tip of her bow is now on display at Battleship Cove. Ship breaking Ship breaking (also known as ship recycling , ship demolition , ship scrapping , ship dismantling , or ship cracking )

28836-557: Was a Tarantul-class corvette built at the Petrovsky Shipyard in 1984, located near the former Soviet (now Russian) city of Leningrad (now St. Petersburg). An example of a Soviet-built missile corvette, Hiddensee was designed to oppose any naval threat to the East German coast, and to fulfill this mission carried long-range Styx anti-ship missiles and an array of defensive weapons designed to ensure her own survival. Following

29014-605: Was built as a fleet flagship, with an extra deck on her conning tower for extra command space, so her secondary battery had sixteen 5-inch (127 mm)/38 caliber Mark 12 guns in eight Mark 28 Mod 0 twin dual-purpose (DP) mounts, four on either side of the superstructure. This was two turrets fewer than her sister ships who had ten twin DP mounts of twenty guns, five on either side of the ship. These turrets weighed 156,295 lb (70,894 kg) and could depress their guns to −15 degrees and elevate them to 85 degrees. The guns fired

29192-438: Was completed, the anti-aircraft battery was modified to eight .50-inch and twenty-eight 1.1-inch machine guns and sixteen 20 mm (1 in) Oerlikon autocannon . In September of that year, the .50-inch guns were removed and the number of 1.1-inch guns reduced to 20. In their place, the 20mm guns were increased to 16 weapons, and 16 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors guns were added, in four quadruple mounts. In February 1943,

29370-493: Was considered a turning point in the treatment of redundant vessels. Europe and the United States have had a resurgence in ship scrapping since the 1990s. In 2009 the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association won a legal case prohibiting all substandard ship breaking. For 14 months the industry could not import ships and thousands of jobs were lost before the ban was annulled. That same year,

29548-514: Was credited with shooting down 26 Japanese planes. The battleship was hit once by a 500 lb (230 kg)-bomb on Turret I during the action. On 30 October 1942, South Dakota and the destroyer Mahan collided while the latter was investigating a sonar contact with a submarine . Both ships were able to continue to Nouméa , where Vestal repaired them. The battleship joined the North Carolina -class battleship Washington and four destroyers to form TF 64 . The ships intercepted

29726-407: Was designed for the torpedo bulkheads to deform and absorb energy while several compartments were liquid loaded in order to disrupt the gas bubble and stop fragments; the total system depth was 17.9 feet (5.46 m). Notably, the armor belt itself, which extended to the triple bottom where it tapered to 1 in (25 mm), formed the third torpedo bulkhead. The lower edge of the belt was welded to

29904-534: Was forced to retire after she was hit by a 16-inch shell from Massachusetts and a number of smaller caliber shells from the American cruisers Brooklyn and Augusta . During the operations off the North African coast on 8 November, Massachusetts fired 786 main battery shells and 221 rounds from her 5-inch guns. Following her successful operations off North Africa, Massachusetts was taken in for an overhaul in

30082-465: Was hit by a 500-pound bomb on the main deck that killed 24 and wounded 27. For the rest of World War II, South Dakota operated in the Pacific mostly as a carrier escort; the only times she did not was when she received an overhaul at the Puget Sound Navy Yard from July to August 1944, when five tanks of gunpowder for the 16-inch guns exploded on 6 May (putting the ship out of action until 1 June), and when she bombarded Okinawa (24 March 19 April),

30260-488: Was inclined 19° from the vertical. This was equal to 17.3 inches (440 mm) of vertical belt armor at 19,000 yards (9.4 nmi; 17 km). The belt armor extended to the triple bottom with a Class B homogeneous Krupp-type lower belt and tapered from its maximum thickness of 12.2 inches (310 mm) down to 1 inch (25 mm) at the lowest portion at the triple bottom. This feature was chosen to protect against penetration of heavy-caliber gun projectiles that managed to hit

30438-486: Was incorporated as a nonprofit educational organization and granted §501(c)(3) status by the Internal Revenue Service in 1964. Led by veterans who had served aboard Massachusetts during World War II, the group was responsible for the U.S. Navy's donation of the decommissioned vessel and its subsequent public display. In its first year open to the public, more than 250,000 visitors explored the ship. Soon after,

30616-527: Was laid on 20 September 1939 at the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia . She was launched on 21 November 1941; during the fitting out process, the former battleship Kearsarge , which had been rebuilt as a crane ship, lowered the 16-inch guns into their turret mountings. Indiana was commissioned into the fleet on 30 April 1942. After shakedown operations, she

30794-463: Was placed on trucks waiting to transport it to Kaohsiung's mills. The Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal of 1989 was the first convention to environmentally govern the ship breaking industry. It has been ratified by 187 countries, including India and Bangladesh. It controls the international movement of hazardous wastes and for their environmentally sound management mainly through consent for

30972-421: Was possible if the power plant from North Carolina could be reduced in size enough to fit in the tighter hull of South Dakota . In order to do so the boilers were positioned directly above the turbines in the same arrangement to have been used in the 1916 Lexington -class battlecruisers . The boilers were then rearranged several times so they were staggered with the turbines, eventually ending directly alongside

31150-431: Was proposed; it was infeasible to use inclined armor in an external belt, because it would compromise stability to a dangerous degree. Instead, an internal armor belt was constructed behind unarmored hull plates. This had serious drawbacks, however; it complicated the construction process, and if the armored belt was damaged, the external plating would have to be cut away first before the belt could be repaired. To minimize

31328-606: Was sent directly to the Solomon Islands; Indiana arrived off Guadalcanal on 9 November 1942 and replaced her sister South Dakota , which was in need of repairs. Indiana ' s operations off Guadalcanal consisted primarily of shore bombardment in support of the Marines fighting on the island. In November 1943, Indiana took part in the invasion of Tarawa, alongside her sister South Dakota . During this operation, Indiana shot down her first aircraft. The ship also participated in

31506-605: Was the largest ship breaking yard in the world. Tightening environmental regulations resulted in increased hazardous waste disposal costs in industrialised countries in the 1980s, causing the export of retired ships to lower-income areas, chiefly in South Asia. This, in turn, created a far worse environmental problem, subsequently leading to the Basel Convention of 1989. In 2004 a Basel Convention decision officially classified old ships as "toxic waste", preventing them from leaving

31684-460: Was then assigned to escort the aircraft carrier Enterprise as part of Task Force (TF) 16 ; joined by TF 17 soon after, the combined fleet—now known as TF 61 —was ordered to "make a sweep of the Santa Cruz Islands and then move southwest to block any Japanese forces approaching Guadalcanal." This led to the Battle of Santa Cruz , where in escorting Enterprise , South Dakota

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